Is There a Relationship between Lumbar Spine Flexion and Low Back Pain? A Narrative Review

Abstract

This chapter investigates the effects of lumbar spine flexion on LBP and why the health care professionals criticize the lumbar spine flexion for low back pain. Low back pain (LBP) is a widely prevalent chronic pain disorder associated with a high burden on individuals and society. There is increasing evidence showing that LBP prevalence is also increasing in the developing world. Healthcare professionals advise patients to immediately stop performing lumbar flexion whenever a patient develops low back pain for any reason, including an injury or muscle spasm.  A few studies suggest that there is no relevant issue in performing lumbar flexion in LBP. The study indicates that when analyzing EMG activity across medical and healthy communities, the degree of flexion regarded as confounding.